Carri L. Jump is a Parents As Teachers Coordinator/ Parent Educator & CEIM(Certified through Infant Massage, USA) from Murphy, NC with over 18 years experience in Early Childhood Education. For the past 4 years she has been offering infant massage education to Mom's & Dad's who participate in the Parents As Teachers program. After being introduced to the HUG Your Baby program and seeing first hand how it works, she knew The HUG would benefit the families she serves. Read on as she shares her HUG experience with us.

Maddie Rae was born at 40 weeks gestation and has a three-year-old brother. Today Maddie Rae is eight-weeks-old.

Mom, is just overjoyed with her baby girl and very interested in learning all she can to be the best Mom possible. I introduced Mom to The HUG with special attention to teaching about SOSs and the sleep Zones. Mom was just amazed at how she had been mesreading her daughter's cues of over stimulation and feeding readiness. Maddie Rae breast and fromula feeds and adapts well to either. Though the baby has no feeding issues, Mom tries to feed Maddie Rae on a very rigid every three hour schedule. Sometimes the baby doesn't want to wake up to feed. Mom is concerned when the baby occasionally extends her feeding time to five hours.

When I look at Maddie Rae and her huge chipmunk cheeks (with apparent overall fat reserves), it is hard not to chuckle. I explain that if Mom wants to wake Maddie Rae up to eat, do so from Active/Light sleep not from Deep sleep. I add that as long as the baby is thriving well and at a healthy weight, Mom could just read her baby's cues and let this guide her feeding times.

Follow Up:Maddies Rae is thriving! Mom says The HUG teaching helped her so much. Now Mom knows when Maddie Rae needs a little down time and the feeding schedule has been tossed out the window. Now, Mom uses Maddie Rae's cues to inform her daily schedule.

"I believe in the HUG program! I am a Mother of a 7-year-old and now 7-month-old. I wish I had known about The HUG with my first child as it has helped me tremendously with my second child. Knowing and understanding my baby's cues, saves time and reduces stress for both parents.

When sharing The Hug Your Baby Program with clients, I often hear about the "Wow" factor. "Wow, I didn't know that!" or "That totally makes sense now!" new moms exclaim. Another Mom's explains that she wants to take The HUG training a second time! As long as participants are gaining knowledge and are excited about what they learn, The HUG will always be a big part of the work I do with families."

"I want to be a good mom!"

Issues of Confidentiality

Specific names and circumstances in this blog are fictional. .

Jan Tedder, BSN, FNP, IBCLC

Jan Tedder, BSN, IBCLC, Family Nurse Practitioner

Jan has worked in a primary care setting with babies and their families for thirty years. A graduate of UNC Charolotte and Chapel Hill, she has lectured at both national and international conferences. She has been honored as the NC Maternal Child Health Nurse of the Year. Her website, DVD, and online training are winners of the 2007 and 2009 National Health and WWW Awards.